The present invention relates to a device for assembling a pump on the neck of a receptacle having a retaining rim.
There already exist assembly devices as described in EP 0 290 431 of the type comprising:
an inner bushing fitting onto said neck in leakproof manner, the top portion of the bushing being constituted by a collar for supporting the pump, and its bottom portion being constituted by a retaining base carrying at least one flexible anchor flap which extends at least in part beneath said rim of the receptacle; and
an outer locking ring for being engaged coaxially on said bushing and providing radial clamping to ensure that at least the free end of said flap is forced to press against the neck of the receptacle.
Unfortunately, such devices do not always provide sufficient mechanical strength, in particular when they are subjected to upwardly-directed traction forces.
In addition, those devices are not designed to be removable to allow the receptacle to be refilled.
Furthermore, the bottom portion of the ring is designed to come directly face-to-face with the wall of the receptacle. Unfortunately, given the variety of neck profiles, it is not always possible to ensure that the ring matches and co-operates with the neck in satisfactory manner.
In particular, a gap zone often appears between the bottom outline of the device and the neck of the receptacle, and this is harmful not only to appearance, but also to tamperproofing and sealing.
An object of the present invention is to resolve these technical problems in satisfactory manner.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by means of an assembly device of the above type characterized in that the flexible anchor flap in the free state extends upwards diverging at a small angle from a shoulder formed on the base.
According to an advantageous characteristic, said bushing has a top tube coaxial with said collar and provided with snap-fastening means for co-operating with complementary members formed in the inside wall of the ring.
In a particular embodiment, said snap-fastening members of the tube are constituted by a series of resiliently-deformable teeth.
In a variant, said complementary snap-fastening members of the ring are constituted by cavities facing said teeth and suitable for receiving them.
Preferably, said cavities are distributed as two superposed series, the bottom series corresponding to a premounting position, and the top series corresponding to a locking position.
Where appropriate, the two series of cavities are separated by a rib having inclined flanks, thereby guiding the teeth.
In another embodiment, said bushing has a self-sealing sleeve secured to the collar and designed to be engaged inside the neck of the receptacle, in contact with the inside wall thereof.
According to another advantageous characteristic, the inside wall of said ring has a chamfered bottom edge.
According to yet another characteristic, the device also includes a cover covering said ring.
The device of the invention can be mounted and locked in a manner that is simple and fast. It provides an assembly that is simultaneously strong, leakproof, and easily releasable, thus making it possible, optionally, to refill the receptacle.
In addition, the device can easily receive a cap and it is adaptable to numerous shapes of pump and receptacle.
The invention will be understood on reading the following description given with reference to the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the device of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a section view showing the FIG. 1 embodiment in an initial stage during mounting; and
FIG. 3 is a section view of the FIG. 1 embodiment in the final stage of mounting.